Woodsville
For several years, a special Haverhill Cooperative School Board committee has been brainstorming ways to save money, among other things, and its work has culminated in a proposal to close the elementary school and consolidate the district’s pre-K-8 students at Haverhill Cooperative Middle School in North Haverhill.
A second plan looks at taking out a multi-million-dollar bond to address fire code and other problems at the 121-year-old high school. If that bond vote fails, the fate of Woodsville High School could also be in limbo, School Board Chairman Richard Guy said in an interview on Monday.
An alternative could mean closing it and tuitioning students to Oxbow Union High School, he said.
“We are going to say, ‘this is how much it will cost to stay at the high school … and as an alternative, you may choose to consolidate (with Oxbow),’ ” Guy said of potential language voters could see at a special Town Meeting. “There are advantages to both.”
Disadvantages to closing the high school in Woodsville could mean a loss of jobs, local control and the school building that generations have learned inside, while upsides could mean reduced costs and the ability to offer more programming to students, he said.
The plans to consolidate the elementary and middle school would also require a bond vote. The proposed plan would call for additions on the middle school building. That bond, however, would likely pay for itself because of the cost savings realized when operating one school instead of two, Guy said.
“That is just a practical consolidation to improve the student flow, the student experience and save money at the same time,” he said, noting that emotions often run high when talking about closing schools, especially ones that have been staples in communities for decades.
SAU 23 Superintendent Linda Melanson said the unknowns about the fate of two of the district’s schools have been a hot topic in town.
“I think it has been difficult for Woodsville High School to hear the rumors …,” Melanson said adding that she hopes the town votes to repair and update the high school. “I am hoping we can resolve this issue civilly.”
She said none of the plans that have been talked about are set in stone and discussions are ongoing. All decisions will be left up to the voters.
The district served about 675 students in 2016-17. That was down from about about 775 in 2011-12
In addition to fire code violations, Melanson said the high school campus isn’t 100 percent ADA compliant, roof work needs to be done and bathrooms and locker rooms need to be renovated. The campus consists of three main buildings and all of them are “aging,” she said.
Budget matters are made worse by state cuts to education, she added, and voters in the district have already pushed back against rising education costs by voting to defeat past school budgets.
The discussion comes as Vermont school districts have been encouraged to consolidate. A factor in that is declining enrollments, something Woodsville has experienced, Guy said.
The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting is scheduled for Aug. 14.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.